Talk: Sunday school lesson

Coll. by M. C. Parler Long Grove Negro Baptist Church
Patterson, Ark.
Oct. 25, 1953
Reel 161
Item 1
The Sunday School Lesson
(taught by the pastor, Brother Charles Cole)
( Only a part of the lesson was recorded, and the following is
selected portions of what was recorded. The lesson was on
temperance.)
Wherever you see God's people get whipped, they have com-promised
with the world....
I pastored a church once that I didn't have but one thing
to boast of; I had more boot-leggers to the square acre in my
church than anybody else in the country. A mother of my church
had six children and five of em was boot-leggers, and the baby
boy couldn't boot-leg because he was his own best customer and
drank it up faster than he could sell it. (Laughter) Was many
a time, when I've raised my voice against it, she'd sit there
cryin - tears would meet under her cheeks - and slid, "They're
wrong, but they're my children." And she had the audacity to
attack me one day. And she said, "They wrong, but they have to
make their living." I said, "Yes ma'am,I know yo' children has
to make their living, but they don't have to make it boot-leggin."
Now, if I was boot-leggin for a livin, you wouldn't have me
in yo' pulpit. And it ain't but one way to Heaven: if I got to
lead straight to git dey (there), you got to follow straight
to git dey too. If I cain't boot-leg, yo' children cain't boot-leg
and stay in my church. They all got insulted...... But I
wouldn't serve a God that'ud let me Starve to death for two bits.
I tell you right, take yo' two bits and go home.
Old Elijah had to set down by the spring and drink spring
water for telling the truth, then somehow 'nother .......
He drink up the brook; it went dry. But God Almighty packed
enough vitamins in a hoecake, and sent it by a raven, for him
to travel forty days till he got somewhere where dey could take
care of him till God's word could come true.
You can't whip alcohol when you get enough in you; it go'
whip you...And it's a peculiar thing how that stuff works. The
first thing, it goes down, and as soon as it hits down into
yo' stomach, it goes to putrifyin' - petrifyin' - yo' nervous
Reel 161, Item 1, Cont'd
The Sunday School Lesson
system. Putrification set in. Offensive effluva (sic) begins
to rise, and you got to hold yo' head off to talk wid folks.
Den yo' nerves begins to harden. You ever noticed it? Yo'
legs gits wobbly. Den it goes back to yo' head den, and yo' head
begins to git wobbly. And den you go to talkin', and because
it plugs yo' ears and you cain't hyeh(hear) yo' self, you think
other folks cain't hyeh you, and you go to talkin' loud.
(Laughter.) D'reckly you cain't walk a straight line.
Goin' ever' which way and think you goin' home.
And I'm reminded of a story about an old peg-leg drunkard.
And he was crossing the bridge on his way home wid dat peg leg.
And he happened to step in a knot-hole; and the peg went down.
And dere, he didn't know, he still had dat good leg walkin'.
And dat peg was stuck in dat hole, and dere he walked all night
long on his way home, goin' around an' aroun'. And dat's de way
a who' lots O' folks on dey way to Heabem - drunk.De Devil got
'im in a hole,and he's goin' 'round and aroun'; he ain't makin'
any progress, in church or no where else, Causin' other folks
to stumble.

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Coll. by M. C. Parler Long Grove Negro Baptist Church
Patterson, Ark.
Oct. 25, 1953
Reel 161
Item 1
The Sunday School Lesson
(taught by the pastor, Brother Charles Cole)
( Only a part of the lesson was recorded, and the following is
selected portions of what was recorded. The lesson was on
temperance.)
Wherever you see God's people get whipped, they have com-promised
with the world....
I pastored a church once that I didn't have but one thing
to boast of; I had more boot-leggers to the square acre in my
church than anybody else in the country. A mother of my church
had six children and five of em was boot-leggers, and the baby
boy couldn't boot-leg because he was his own best customer and
drank it up faster than he could sell it. (Laughter) Was many
a time, when I've raised my voice against it, she'd sit there
cryin - tears would meet under her cheeks - and slid, "They're
wrong, but they're my children." And she had the audacity to
attack me one day. And she said, "They wrong, but they have to
make their living." I said, "Yes ma'am,I know yo' children has
to make their living, but they don't have to make it boot-leggin."
Now, if I was boot-leggin for a livin, you wouldn't have me
in yo' pulpit. And it ain't but one way to Heaven: if I got to
lead straight to git dey (there), you got to follow straight
to git dey too. If I cain't boot-leg, yo' children cain't boot-leg
and stay in my church. They all got insulted...... But I
wouldn't serve a God that'ud let me Starve to death for two bits.
I tell you right, take yo' two bits and go home.
Old Elijah had to set down by the spring and drink spring
water for telling the truth, then somehow 'nother .......
He drink up the brook; it went dry. But God Almighty packed
enough vitamins in a hoecake, and sent it by a raven, for him
to travel forty days till he got somewhere where dey could take
care of him till God's word could come true.
You can't whip alcohol when you get enough in you; it go'
whip you...And it's a peculiar thing how that stuff works. The
first thing, it goes down, and as soon as it hits down into
yo' stomach, it goes to putrifyin' - petrifyin' - yo' nervous
Reel 161, Item 1, Cont'd
The Sunday School Lesson
system. Putrification set in. Offensive effluva (sic) begins
to rise, and you got to hold yo' head off to talk wid folks.
Den yo' nerves begins to harden. You ever noticed it? Yo'
legs gits wobbly. Den it goes back to yo' head den, and yo' head
begins to git wobbly. And den you go to talkin', and because
it plugs yo' ears and you cain't hyeh(hear) yo' self, you think
other folks cain't hyeh you, and you go to talkin' loud.
(Laughter.) D'reckly you cain't walk a straight line.
Goin' ever' which way and think you goin' home.
And I'm reminded of a story about an old peg-leg drunkard.
And he was crossing the bridge on his way home wid dat peg leg.
And he happened to step in a knot-hole; and the peg went down.
And dere, he didn't know, he still had dat good leg walkin'.
And dat peg was stuck in dat hole, and dere he walked all night
long on his way home, goin' around an' aroun'. And dat's de way
a who' lots O' folks on dey way to Heabem - drunk.De Devil got
'im in a hole,and he's goin' 'round and aroun'; he ain't makin'
any progress, in church or no where else, Causin' other folks
to stumble.